Weekly "Table Talk" story and questions by the author of the Art of Amazement. To subscribe to this blog via email, visit http://jsli.org .

Friday, December 25, 2009

Blindness

Thank you for all the good wishes on the birth of our daughter Tehila Yehudis.

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated life and everyone except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.

She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I will marry you.”

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, “Now that you could see the world, will you marry me?”

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at them for the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: “Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.”

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

What’s the antidote to this kind of blindness?

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Try this: before you complain about the taste of your food – think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife – think of someone who’s crying out for a companion.

Today, before you complain about your life – think of someone who left this world too early.

Before you complain about your children – think of someone who desires children but is barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone did not clean or sweep – think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive – think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job – think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

When depressing thoughts get you down – try smiling and being thankful you’re still alive and still around.

Shabbat Shalom

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. - Churchill